Sir Keith Gold sat in his office drumming his fingers by the phone. He looked at the clock. Five o'clock! Why hadn't anyone called him back yet? He knew it was Christmas, but surely ... The Brigadier wasn't in his office; "we think 'es gone 'ome for Christmas" said the dour voice at UNIT HQ, though no one was answering at his home. Sir John Sudbury "was at the PM's Christmas bash"; even worse, Dr Shaw was at a conference in Los Angeles and the Suttons were on their yacht in the Med ; and the Doctor ...
He snatched the phone up and dialled the extension again.
***
The stillness in the darkened laboratory was shattered by the noisy arrival of the TARDIS. The door creaked open and the Doctor, currently in his fifth incarnation, stepped cautiously into the room. He looked around and groaned.
"Oh no - not here! After all this time ..."
"Where are we, Doctor?" The Doctor's current travelling companions - Adric, Nyssa and Tegan - crowded behind him.
"We're back on Earth," he muttered, and Tegan whooped, but the Doctor shook his head. "Sorry Tegan, wrong time again." He peered at a calendar on the wall. "1973, to be exact. Ah, Adric! Don't leave the TARDIS! I want to leave here straight away."
Adric wandered over to the big bench in the centre of the room and started tinkering with the equipment on it. "Why, Doctor? This all looks very interesting."
"Yes, but unfortunately it all belongs to me. I mean a different version of me."
Nyssa looked the room up and down. "To you? You mean you lived here?"
"That's right. This is my lab at UNIT HQ, where I spent my time in exile a few years back. We simply can't stay here. We might be spotted at any time, and that would cause some awkward questions. Besides, I might be back at any minute, and that really would be awkward!"
Suddenly the phone on the bench trilled and before the Doctor could react Adric had picked it up.
"Hello? Yes? The Doctor? Hold on ..." He held the phone up for the Doctor. "It's for you!"
The Doctor looked anguished but took it anyway. "Hello?" he said cautiously. "Sir Keith Gold? Of course I remember you ... yes ... yes. What's that?" The Doctor suddenly became very tense. "I thought they'd closed that place down! Why ... oh, I see. The idiot! Right ... don't worry, Sir Keith, I shall get right on it. Yes indeed ... what's that? Er, different? Well, I ... er ... have a cold. Goodbye Sir Keith!"
He slammed the phone down and hustled everyone back to the TARDIS. "Come along, come along! We have a job to do."
"What's that, Doctor?" asked Tegan.
"Did I ever tell you about the Stahlman project? No? I'll tell you on the way ..."
***
Captain Manfred Gerstein took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He hadn't been expecting this kind of thing when he'd been seconded to UNIT from his regiment in West Germany. His training had prepared him to expect Soviet commandos, terrorists, even, if the stories were true about UNIT, alien invaders. But fat snooty British MP's were a different kind of enemy.
The Right Honorable Frank Darracott MP puffed himself up to his full height and glowered up at the young Captain. He'd worked very hard to become the new Energy Secretary and was going to be damned if he was going to let some jumped-up squaddie - a foreign one at that! - spoil his chance of a bit of ministerial glory. In view of the recent energy crisis, it was essential that alternative projects were examined. Just because the Stahlman Project had a few difficulties a year or so back, there was no reason why, with the right man in charge, it couldn't be made to work again. Wouldn't it make a wonderful Christmas present for the PM if he could show it could be made to run again ... then they could tell those bloody Arabs where they could stick their oilfields! He jabbed a pudgy finger at the Captain's chest and barked in his gruff Northern voice:
"Now you see here, Captain! I 'ave full authority from the bloody PM 'imself to investigate this works, and by God that's exactly what I'm gonna do! I ain't waitin' for bloody Keith Gold or your bloody Brigadier. I'm gonna have a full investigation team 'ere by the mornin', and if you're still in the bloody way, I'll have your guts for garters!"
Gerstein looked at Sergeant Ware, who gave his officer a pitying look and shrugged helplessly. He tried to control his anger and snapped: "I do not care if you have authority from the Queen of England herself! This installation is under the jurisdiction of UNIT who are answerable only to the Security Council of the UN! I am under orders ..."
"Oh, blow yer orders! You listen ..." The argument raged on.
***
The TARDIS materialised outside the entrance to the main control room. The Doctor was, as usual, arguing with his companions about who should accompany him.
"No, Adric! I want Nyssa to come along and run an analysis to prove how dangerous this fluid is. I want you to stay with Tegan in case something goes wrong. Tegan, have you found that comset yet?"
Tegan looked round from her exploration of one of the TARDIS roundel lockers and shook her head. "Not yet ... hang on!" She pulled a dusty little device not unlike a modern mobile phone from inside. The Doctor came over and showed her how to operate it.
"Good, good! Now, if we're not back in an hour, type this number ..." he scribbled something on a notepad and tore it off. "You'll have to go outside to do it, reception is always terrible in the TARDIS. Ask for the Brigadier. A lady named Doris may answer, but just tell her the Doctor needs the Brigadier's help at the Stahlman project. Got that? Good. Come on Nyssa." They dashed from the ship, Nyssa lugging a complicated piece of equipment. A moment after they'd gone, Adric winked at Tegan and scampered after them. She sighed, and sank into a chair.
***
The argument was becoming more and more heated, and Ware began to consider calling someone - anyone! - for help before the young German did something rash, when two people rushed into the room, a young man and a young woman.
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please ..." There was silence. The man faced Darracott. "Now then, I understand from Sir Keith that you're thinking of re-opening this facility. That can't happen, I'm afraid."
"Oh really? And just who the hell do you think you are givin' me orders?"
"I'm the Doctor, UNIT's scientific advisor, and this is my assistant, Nyssa. She's going to run a couple of tests to prove to you exactly how dangerous the late Professor's new energy source really is."
Gerstein frowned. The Doctor? He'd never met this legendary figure, but he'd heard he was older. He motioned to Ware, who stepped forward, ready to ask for some proof of identity, when ..
"Run tests? You're too late, lad ... I've already got a boffin doin' that."
"What? Where?" The Doctor shouted.
"In the lab through there ..." The Doctor and Nyssa ran to where he indicated.
The lab was a mess, furniture and equipment shattered beyond repair. Oozing across the table was a vile looking green substance, which steamed and smouldered. The Doctor gasped.
"We're too late! Quick ... who was testing it, and for how long?"
Darracott shrugged. "Professor Gorman. He's been 'ere an hour or three, that's for sure."
The Doctor nodded grimly. "That's long enough ... Captain, quickly call your men. There could be a monster running loose and -"
With a shattering crash a door was flung open and a terrifying bestial figure shambled into the room. It looked like a hunched werewolf with matted fur around its face and hands, with powerful fangs and long rending claws. It snarled at the Doctor's group, who backed away.
"Gorman?" breathed Darracott. "What the bloody hell -"
The beast launched itself at him with a howl. The Doctor and Nyssa pulled him back as Gerstein pulled out his pistol and fired uselessly at it.
"You're fired!" Darracott yelled as the creature lashed out at him. He screamed and cowered back behind Nyssa, clutching his arm.
"Captain, we need fire extinguishers!"
Gerstein was too occupied firing, when the pistol clicked empty and the beast poised itself for the kill ...
A freezing jet of CO2 struck it square in the chest, sending it staggering back. "Here Doctor!" cried a voice and a fire extinguisher was thrust into his hands. Not for the first time, the Doctor was pleased by the sudden appearance of Adric, and between the two of them managed to blast the creature away. It ran down the corridor.
"Well done Adric! Everyone okay?"
Ware ran into the room and hurriedly saluted. "Sir, some horrible creature has just sealed itself in the control room!" There was a sudden rumble beneath their feet.
"Oh no! Sounds like it's started up the drilling machinery! Come on!" The Doctor led the charge to the control room. Outside, UNIT soldiers were already trying to batter their way in. The Doctor turned angrily on Darracott. "Why on earth was it ever repaired?"
Darracott mopped his brow. That thing had just nicked him, and he wasn't feeling at all well. Probably crawling with diseases. He must see a doctor ... "Don't blame me, blame the last lot in office! Can't you stop it?" he snapped irritably.
"I think so, as soon as we can get in there ..."
The soldiers managed to smash open the door and they ran inside. There was no sign of the creature, but the machinery was running full-tilt. The Doctor examined it and cursed.
"No good ... it's running on full power. I can stop the pump, but the pressure in the pipe is too great to stop the flow to the surface now."
"Doctor look!" Nyssa screamed. From the pumping shaft vile green fluid was starting to bubble.
"Good grief! It must have been building up over the years ... think, think, think!" The Doctor rubbed his temples furiously, then snapped his fingers. "Of course! Captain, plans of the shafts, quickly please!"
They laid the plans out and the Doctor jabbed a finger at it. "Aha! Just as I thought. There's a waste pipe flowing parallel to the main shaft. If I can reseal this end and divert the flow back down into that ..."
Nyssa was flicking switches. "The hydraulic doors aren't functioning, Doctor!"
"Hmmm ... well, I'll just pop down that access pipe and fix them. Won't be a jiffy." With that he vanished down the pipe.
"Doctor, watch out for that creature! It could be down there!"
***
Gerstein's voice echoed down to him ... well, no time to worry about that. He crouched down in the steamy gloom of the tiny maintenance space and worked furiously at the door controls. Nearly got them ...
There was a snarl behind him and the shaggy form of the creature lunged at him from the darkness. The Doctor dodged round the ladder. As the beast swung round it to try and reach him, the Doctor lashed out with his foot, sending it crashing down into the darkness below, its wailing cry echoing long and loud before it hit the bottom.
The Doctor shot back up the ladder. The floor was shaking violently as the unnatural forces beneath the ground threatened to burst loose. They had seconds to spare ...
"Quickly Nyssa, operate the controls!"
Suddenly with a snarl Darracott flung the girl aside. The familiar horrible green tinge was just showing on his skin and matted hair was sprouting from his knuckles and jowls.
"Never! You won't ruin my glory!" he howled throatily, and rose a wrench above his head to strike the Doctor.
Gerstein whipped up a fire extinguisher and fired full-blast into Darracott's face. The MP dropped with a horrible cry and writhed painfully before going rigid and lying still.
Nyssa staggered to her feet and rapidly operated the safety doors. With a thump they closed. The pumping machinery gradually whined to a halt and the alarms silenced. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Gerstein looked down and prodded Darracott's body with his boot.
"You know, I rather enjoyed doing that."
"Yes sir," smiled Ware, "but think of the paperwork, eh?"
The Doctor led Nyssa and Adric back to the TARDIS. Gerstein had a UNIT clean-up team on its way and written instructions from the Doctor to Sir Keith and the Brigadier about how to seal the plant up - for good.
"I thought we'd sealed it up good and proper the last time, but you can never tell with the stupidity of some people. Hopefully this time ... Tegan!"
Tegan was standing outside the TARDIS with the comset pressed to her ear. She was talking to someone.
"Yes ... the Brigadier ... it is an emergency, honest!"
The Doctor snatched the comset away. "Ah, hello? Yes ... yes ... sorry, Brigadier, all over now, didn't mean to panic you ... how did I get this number? Errr ... well, yes ... Oh! A merry Christmas to you too!" He pulled the dead phone from his ear, blushing. "What language!" He looked up.
